My new panther chameleon is not eating

[Girca]

Thank you. And thank you for being super responsive and helpful.
He did regained a bit of color. So like you said, if he is not done he is probably very close.
Just feeling very sad now.
I’m trying to piece all the parts together and see if it is worth engaging with the seller. So I have a couple questions for you :
. Would my mistake have not having that UVB light and only the Arcadia LED and the heat lamp for 4 days be fatal for him?
. If it was the respiratory infection, how long does it take to develop usually? My wife was not there today but now she mentioned that he started opening his mouth with his head pointing up, 2 days ago (she was taking care of him), so now I’m thinking it may not had been the light.
. When we got him, the seller said 2 months from I remember, my wife said that she mentioned she was not quite sure, 2 months maybe 3. What I guess is still too young based on what you said above.
. I wanted to share the vendor and see if anyone got experience with them : https://instagram.com/highlighter.chameleons?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

[Girca]

Also wanted to add that since we got him, he was all the time shutting down. What fell weird but we were thinking it was because of the stress of a new environment. I mean I’m sure it was a reason too, but being a newbie with minimum knowledge is not helping.

I did what you said, placed under gentle heat and his body is now half colored but I’m sure it’s not for long.

 

[Beppo]

Also wanted to add that since we got him, he was all the time shutting down. What fell weird but we were thinking it was because of the stress of a new environment. I mean I’m sure it was a reason too, but being a newbie with minimum knowledge is not helping.

I did what you said, placed under gentle heat and his body is now half colored but I’m sure it’s not for long.

I’m so sorry as well. You were doing everything you could and it very sad that you were sold him in the first place. I’m sorry for what you are going through

 

[elizaann2]

You are most welcome, I am sorry we could not save him.

I am guessing he is pretty close to passing. Just keep him warm and comfortable like @MissSkittles said. And of course you feel sad, I will even admit that I feel sad myself. What a horrible experience for you, I very much wish it was different. See my answers to your questions below:

. Would my mistake have not having that UVB light and only the Arcadia LED and the heat lamp for 4 days be fatal for him? A UVB light is mandatory with these reptiles. You also only had him for a week. My guess is he was sick before you brought him home and not having the correct husbandry just created a faster decline unfortunately.
. If it was the respiratory infection, how long does it take to develop usually? My wife was not there today but now she mentioned that he started opening his mouth with his head pointing up, 2 days ago (she was taking care of him), so now I’m thinking it may not had been the light. That absolutely sounds like an upper respiratory infection. Unfortunately once you start to see the mouth opening and the head pointing up, the infection is going quite strong in their lungs and you have a matter of days until its too late. A URI is often caused by high humidity and high temperatures combined with stagnant air. If your baby's immune system was lowered from stress, this would also make him susceptible to getting sick.
. When we got him, the seller said 2 months from I remember, my wife said that she mentioned she was not quite sure, 2 months maybe 3. What I guess is still too young based on what you said above. Yes 2 months is too young. Most reputable breeders will not sell a chameleon until it is 4 months old and there is a specific weight that chameleon needs to weigh before the breeder will send that baby to another home.
. I wanted to share the vendor and see if anyone got experience with them : https://instagram.com/highlighter.chameleons?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==. I do not know this breeder, unfortunately. I did check out his website. It looks like his facility is clean, all chameleons are kept in their own enclosures including the babies so that is good. I found his care guide which actually I would say most of what he recommends is excellent. The only thing I would not do is have the basking temp go above 85 degrees and I would also press for a night time temp drop of at least 68 degrees. I can't remember what else but if I were to give his care guide a score I would say 8 out of 10. Oh ya the enclosure sizes he recommends are a bit small. I would go with a 24x24x48 or bigger for all ages if I am being completely honest.

If it were me, I would reach out. If I may be honest, there is a decent amount that I would suggest you improve in your husbandry, however baby passing that quickly tells me there was something else going on as well. If the breeder will send you another chameleon be sure to ask for a chameleon that is 4 months old minimum and lets get everything set up 100% before it is sent to you.

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ve heard of Highlighter chameleons in what I recall was a positive way. I don’t believe this breeder would have knowingly sold a sick or failing chameleon. However, even the best breeders can unwittingly have issues with their animals. Unfortunately, without a full necropsy it would be impossible to say with any certainty why your baby has failed and passed. It’s possible that even with a necropsy the cause may still be indeterminate. It does happen at times that baby chameleons can just fail and pass away for no visible reason. Regardless of the reason that baby has passed, if and when you are ready to try again, we can help. Wishing you peace and healing.

 

[Girca]

Thank you for your honest answers. I did contact the seller. He lives in my area. I just feel like I will not get a positive return as I saw a Yelp review of someone asking for a replacement but he got ignored. But I will keep you updated on the outcome.

In term of the set up, this was a temporary enclosure as my goal was to get this IKEA cabinet (the picture attached) turned into a dedicated space for him. Which is at least double the size.

 

[Girca]

Oh man, I just got a reply. The seller will replace him. I’m so happy but sad at the time. And also hate the term replacement, as this is not an object I will want to talk to you all and make sure my set up is right before we get him.

 

[Gloriawood]

I’ve been following your post and I just want to say how very sorry I am for your loss. Though you didn’t have him long, I know how easy it is to get attached so quickly. You are in wonderful hands here, not just for getting ready for your next little one, but for support for your loss as well.

 

[elizaann2]

Thank you for your honest answers. I did contact the seller. He lives in my area. I just feel like I will not get a positive return as I saw a Yelp review of someone asking for a replacement but he got ignored. But I will keep you updated on the outcome.

In term of the set up, this was a temporary enclosure as my goal was to get this IKEA cabinet (the picture attached) turned into a dedicated space for him. Which is at least double the size.

That looks a lot better in terms of space however, for chameleon's height equals safety and with that cabinet being so low to the ground I would worry your chameleon would constantly be stressed. All my enclosures are on some type of table or shelving unit and the top branch in the enclosure is higher than my head and I am 5'5" just to paint a picture. Its a lovely I idea but due to the lack of height I would recommend something else.

 

[elizaann2]

Oh man, I just got a reply. The seller will replace him. I’m so happy but sad at the time. And also hate the term replacement, as this is not an object I will want to talk to you all and make sure my set up is right before we get him.

You are right replacement is not the right word because it is a living creature. And I am very glad he will work with you. Don't forget to ask for a well started juvenile that is at least 4 months old and ask the breeder to hold on to the chameleon for you while you get the proper set up. Not having the right environment is also stressful for the chameleon so it is important to get this dialed in before baby comes home, especially with how young they are.

Since you need a decent amount of equipment I would strongly suggest one of these kits made by the Neptune the Chameleon

Starter Kit
Advanced Kit

These kits are really nice because it removes all the guess work. Here is a YouTube on the kits.

This is the care guide I follow fir panther chameleons. Check this out, this is the environment and set up you are aiming for for a heathy chameleon.

 

[Andrew1283]

Thank you for your honest answers. I did contact the seller. He lives in my area. I just feel like I will not get a positive return as I saw a Yelp review of someone asking for a replacement but he got ignored. But I will keep you updated on the outcome.

In term of the set up, this was a temporary enclosure as my goal was to get this IKEA cabinet (the picture attached) turned into a dedicated space for him. Which is at least double the size.

If you’re new to the hobby and just lost a chameleon, I would suggest you buy a screened or a hybrid enclosure before branching out into custom DIY enclosures. Proper ventilation is critical and you don’t want to put chameleons into temporary and inadequate enclosures while you’re building their forever home.